At a time where most sports stop and rest, basketball powers through and delivers some top shelf matchups for Christmas.
Whether you’re an NBA tragic, an NBL fiend or a combination of both, there is plenty to latch onto this Christmas period when you’re sick of family small talk.
It all begins on down under with a mouthwatering NBL clash followed by an NBA marathon beginning at 4am AEDT on Boxing Day.
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NBL: Sydney Kings vs. Melbourne United
The NBL will be making history this Sunday, becoming the first pro sporting league down under to host a game on Christmas Day.
To mark the inaugural occasion, they’ve got the reigning champions the Sydney Kings hosting rivals Melbourne United, who are eager to make sure the trip north is worth missing standard family plans for.
NBA: New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers
4:00am AEDT Boxing Day
For the second consecutive year the Knicks will host a Christmas Day game, this time against the fifth seed 76ers in the east at Madison Square Garden.
Although New York have improved greatly since last season, it will be a tall task to stop Joel Embiid and the 76ers who are (pardon the pun) on a six-game winning streak.
NBA: Dallas Mavericks vs. LA Lakers
6:30am AEDT Boxing Day
This game could easily turn out to be a passing of the torch moment with Lebron James and the struggling Lakers likely to go down to the new king in town, Luka Doncic.
These two sides met on Christmas Day two years ago with the Lakers walking away winners; potential added motivation for the Dallas side.
NBA: Boston Celtics vs. Milwaukee Bucks
9:00am AEDT Boxing Day
Many in the NBA community have tipped this matchup to be a preview of the eastern conference finals, with two leading MVP candidates going head to head – Jayson Tatum and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
NBA: Golden State Warriors vs. Memphis Grizzlies
12:00am AEDT Boxing Day
In what adds some nice Christmas spice, Grizzlies star Ja Morant requested that the Warriors come to Memphis for this clash. But four-time NBA champ Draymond Green reminded him the champions don’t travel on Christmas.
Similarly to the Boston-Milwaukee game, this could be a preview of the western conference finals. However, the Warriors are dealing with key injuries and are unlikely to reach their ceiling in this one.
But let’s hope Draymond Green sticks to his word and invites the Grizzlies team over for a Christmas feast… it would be great content!
Denver Nuggets vs. Phoenix Suns
2:30pm AEDT Boxing Day
The Suns will be hoping for reinforcements for the closing Christmas Day fixture in Denver, facing the first seed in the west.
Nuggets star Nikola Jokic has been putting up Wilt Chamberlain numbers of late; 53 points, 40 rebounds and 23 assists across a two-game span which means he’s coming in hot for this matchup.
Make sure to keep clicking back to onlysports.com.au for more content celebrating our sporting stars and the events that will define the summer holidays.
